CBS Electronics

Overview

CBS Electronics was a short-lived video game division of CBS Toys/Gabriel Industries founded in 1982 by CBS Inc. to market video games domestically and internationally.

In the U.S., CBS Electronics was primarily known for their ports of several arcade games for the Atari 2600 and 5200 systems. CBS Electronics was also responsible for the Columbia House Video Game Club through their parent company, CBS, Inc. Through the club, CBS sold an Atari 2600-compatible system called the Columbia Home Arcade (which was actually a re-branded Coleco Gemini). The club offered a range of games for the Atari 2600 by not only CBS and Coleco, but many other companies as well.

Outside the U.S., CBS Electronics was known primarily for their marketing of games by Coleco. CBS manufactured and distributed the ColecoVision system and its games in Europe, Australia, and elsewhere. They also marketed Coleco's games for the Atari 2600 VCS and Intellivision systems in these same territories.

CBS Electronics enjoyed some early success, but in late 1983 the video game industry began to crash, and CBS abruptly pulled the plug on their video game division.